Stories by Patty Wetli

Graceland Cemetery’s new entry plaza is designed to lure people into the 120-acre green space. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Graceland Cemetery Debuts Visitor-Friendly Entryway Designed to Breathe New Life Into This Historic Treasure

Graceland Cemetery has debuted a new entryway designed to draw people in rather than keep people out, embracing its status as one of Chicago’s great green spaces.

(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Snow or No Snow, Chicago’s Winter Parking Ban Starts Friday. Here’s How to Avoid Getting Towed

Starting Dec. 1, Chicago’s overnight parking ban takes effect on 107 miles of streets, snow or no snow, from 3-7 a.m. daily through April 1.

The McCormick Tribune Ice Rink at Millennium Park. (Millennium Park / Facebook)

Chicago Park District Outdoor Skating Rinks Open for the Season, With a New Twist for Gen Xers and Boomers

Outdoor skating rinks at five Chicago parks open Nov. 24, joining rinks at Maggie Daley Park and Millennium Park where skating is already underway.

The remnants of Sunday's 1.8-inch snowfall, Nov. 27, 2023. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Sunday’s Snowfall Total in Chicago, All 1.8 Inches of It, Beat the Odds

Dec. 7 is the average date for the city to record its first 1-inch snowfall, according to the National Weather Service. 

(Carl James / Pixabay)

Let’s Talk Turkey: 10 Wild Facts About America’s Bird

This year, don't head to your Thanksgiving gathering empty-handed. Take these wild turkey fun facts with you, and use them to fill awkward silences.

(Chicago Thanksgiving Parade)

Chicago’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is Set to Step Off for Its 89th Year

The annual Chicago Thanksgiving Parade steps off for the 89th year on Thursday.

Invasive species like teasel could use warmer hardiness zones to even greater advantage. (Beauty of Nature / Pixabay)

USDA’s New Plant Hardiness Map Puts Chicago in Warmer Company With Kentucky. What Does This Mean for Area Gardens and Natural Areas?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released a new plant hardiness zone map, and significant swaths of the country — Chicago included — are now in warmer zones.

(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Have You Heard of ‘Leave the Leaves’? It Might Not Mean What You Think, So Don’t Toss That Rake Just Yet

The core principle of “leave the leaves” is to manage the leaves on site. It doesn’t mean to just leave them where they fell.

Prescribed burn in Cook County. (Kelly Bougher / Forest Preserve District of Cook County)

It’s Fire Season — On Purpose — In the Region’s Forest Preserves. Cook County Has a New Map of Prescribed Burn Sites

Forest preserve districts across the region are in the middle of fire season — not combatting them, but setting them. 

Illinois’ new universal specialty license plate design, with monarch butterfly decal. (Illinois Secretary of State / Facebook)

Honk If You Love Monarchs. Illinois Finally Set to Issue License Plate to Benefit Endangered Insect

After a seven-year wait, the state of Illinois will finally begin issuing monarch butterfly specialty license plates, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced Thursday.

(Courtesy Chicago Transit Authority)

The CTA 2023 Holiday Train Schedule Is Here

The wildly popular Holiday Train is back for a 32nd year, running Nov. 24 through Dec. 21. Here’s when and where to catch it.

Whooping cranes are known for their snowy white plumage, red caps and bugling call. Seen here in South Dakota. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mountain-Pacific Region / Flickr Creative Commons)

They’re Whooping It Up in Kane County Over Sighting of Endangered Whooping Cranes

Fewer than 100 whooping cranes migrate through the eastern U.S. A family of three paid a visit to a Kane County forest preserve Nov. 9-10 while winging their way to Florida.

Aerial map of the epicenter of Wednesday's earthquake, Nov. 15, 2023. (U.S. Geological Survey)

3.6 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks Illinois, 100 Miles From Chicago

A 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit north central Illinois Wednesday morning, shortly before 5 a.m., the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is reporting.

Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara spent hours on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station, successfully replacing hardware on the station’s solar array. (Courtesy of NASA)

Looking for a Wrench? There’s a Bag of Tools Orbiting Earth and Here’s How You Can Track It Down

During their first-ever spacewalk, astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara spent hours outside the International Space Station, successfully replacing hardware on the station’s solar array. But a tool bag became untethered and is now orbiting Earth.

The crow-sized Cooper’s hawk has been called a “flying cross,” with its long tail and short wings. None of those traits is reflected in the bird’s eponymous name. (Courtesy of Walter Kitundu)

North American Birds Named After Bad People Will Get a New Name. So Will Birds Named After Good Guys. Chicago Birders Weigh in on Polarizing Decision

North America’s eponymous birds — those named for people — will all receive new names. The decision made by the American Ornithological Society has drawn praise from some quarters and provoked vehement opposition elsewhere.

(andreas N / Pixabay)

Don’t Forget to Set Clocks Back an Hour This Weekend

Clocks roll back to standard time at 2 a.m. Sunday.

The De La Cruz family with the 45-foot Colorado Blue Spruce that will light up Millennium Park this holiday season. (Courtesy De La Cruz family; City of Chicago)

Chicago Has Its 2023 Christmas Tree, a 45-Footer From Darien

The 45-foot Colorado Blue Spruce will take centerstage during an official tree lighting ceremony on Nov. 17 at 6 p.m.

(Pixabay / Mayur Gadge)

Pumpkin Smash Events Set for This Weekend. Here’s Where to Find the One Nearest You

This weekend, nearly 80 sites across the greater Chicago region will be collecting pumpkins for composting, part of a nationwide push to keep food waste out of landfills.

Little Free Library duo in Lincoln Square — one for adults and one for kids. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Reprieve for Little Free Libraries After City Council Delays Vote on Measure That Would Require Permits for the Tiny Bibliotecas

An ordinance amendment would require library hosts to obtain a permit before setting up a “public bookcase” in the public way, and would limit permit holders to institutions.

This epaulette shark pup hatched Aug. 23, 2023, at Brookfield Zoo, born from what staff believe was an unfertilized egg. (Jim Schulz / CZS-Brookfield Zoo)

Brookfield Zoo Welcomes Baby Shark Via Rare ‘Virgin Birth.’ If That’s Not Amazing Enough, It Also Walks

The epaulette shark pup hatched Aug. 23, born from what staff believe was an unfertilized egg. 

(Pixabay / neelam279)

‘Tis the Season, LITE FM Goes All Holiday Music All the Time on Thursday

Love it or hate it, the stunt works for the station. In 2022, the LITE’s ratings doubled between November and December.

(Pixabay / Peggychoucair)

Snow and Freezing Wind Chills Combine for One of the Nastiest Chicago Halloweens on Record

The scariest thing this Halloween is the weather forecast for trick-or-treaters.

Barn owl. (Lubos Houska / Pixabay)

Looking for a Good Scare on Halloween? Mother Nature’s a Real Scream Queen

From carnivorous plants to blood-sucking sea creatures, nature serves up plenty of frights, lots of them found right here in Illinois.

McCormick Place Lakeside Center's walls of glass and location on the lakefront are a deadly combination for birds. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

McCormick Place Says It Will Do Better by Birds After 1,000 Killed in Mass Casualty Event. Conservationists Want Proof

Monday’s meeting of the McPier board was dominated by discussion of the mass death of 1,000 birds in a single day, killed after colliding with McCormick Place. Bird conservationists want a solution in place by spring migration.

(Ana Krach / Pixabay)

Chicago’s Halloween Forecast: It’s Going To Be a Classic ‘Throw On a Coat Over Your Costume’ Kind of Night

The National Weather Service isn’t even trying to sugarcoat the forecast for Halloween. It’s all downhill from here.

River Park, Chicago. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Leaf Peeping is Hitting Its Peak. Here’s How to Take Advantage of Fall Color Season Close to Chicago

The fall foliage season got off to a slow start in the Chicago region but is making up for lost time. We’ve rounded up some resources to help you make the most of Mother Nature’s spectacular, but short-lived, autumnal display.